Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love

I just picked up a copy of this, and I'm not sure if I just got lucky, but after a good cleaning, it sounds great.. not dead quiet but every bit as good as most new pressings.. plays with only a little noticeable noise between tracks, but really happy with it.. and vinyl looks really great.. most important, one of favorite records from Kate Bush, just fantastic!!

Always thought it felt flimsy for a record but never thought much of it. Sound quality is fine on my copy in my opinion. It’s such a gorgeous colour pressing that maybe my ears are comprising. Was also the first record I ever bought when I was 14 so maybe there’s a fondness I’m not willing to let go of!

I love the colours on this scarce release, although the inner sleeve is rather delicate. I have never seen a sealed copy to date. I did see a photo once with a hype sticker but not for sale. The colour is like raspberry! They appear on eBay on occasion. I have fond memories from the 80's... miss those days.

I agree with the assessment that the vinyl is of poor quality resulting in inferior sound reproduction. The vinyl is absurdly thin and flimsy. I had no idea this had been pulled. I kept mine because it's unique and the scarcity of it. Think I only played it twice. It's nice to take out and look at it every so often though.

After a little research I have found the clue, which works for me on this release. It's a "loud cut" and the "standard" 40db gain on a MM-cartridge is too much.

Especially on the Ortofon 2M Blue which has a higher ouput. It clips mostly on some songs. I reduced to 34db and know I have magnificent dynamics.

foobar2000 1.5.5 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2020-11-03 20:56:24

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Kate Bush / Hounds Of Love
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.21 dB -15.83 dB 5:01 01-Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
DR12 -0.48 dB -15.52 dB 3:03 02-Hounds Of Love
DR12 -0.20 dB -14.81 dB 4:41 03-The Big Sky
DR12 -3.76 dB -18.38 dB 3:08 04-Mother Stands For Comfort
DR13 -0.10 dB -16.38 dB 5:10 05-Cloudbusting
DR13 -7.00 dB -25.53 dB 2:45 06-And Dream Of Sheep
DR14 -6.35 dB -23.17 dB 2:22 07-Under Ice
DR13 -0.23 dB -17.78 dB 4:18 08-Waking The Witch
DR14 -3.61 dB -20.22 dB 4:07 09-Watching You Without Me
DR13 -0.35 dB -16.87 dB 4:17 10-Jig Of Life
DR14 -1.16 dB -20.47 dB 6:00 11-Hello Earth
DR12 -0.10 dB -16.12 dB 2:34 12-The Morning Fog
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 12
Official DR value: DR13
Ripped by: splintered8080
Ortofon 2M Blue / Gain: 34dB

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 4608 kbps
Codec: PCM
================================================================================

I have a sealed copy of this. Does anyone know how can I know for sure if it's the marbled one?

Compared to other release from the same year this release lacks on dynamics on some songs. But a musical masterpiece everyone should have.

foobar2000 1.5.5 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2020-08-20 18:54:42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Kate Bush / Hounds Of Love
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR8 -0.37 dB -11.13 dB 5:01 01-Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
DR9 -0.31 dB -10.77 dB 3:03 02-Hounds Of Love
DR8 -0.10 dB -9.94 dB 4:41 03-The Big Sky
DR11 -0.68 dB -13.60 dB 3:08 04-Mother Stands For Comfort
DR8 -0.51 dB -11.55 dB 5:10 05-Cloudbusting
DR13 -4.52 dB -22.18 dB 2:45 06-And Dream Of Sheep
DR13 -3.46 dB -19.53 dB 2:23 07-Under Ice
DR10 -0.13 dB -14.03 dB 4:17 08-Waking The Witch
DR14 -0.23 dB -16.59 dB 4:07 09-Watching You Without Me
DR11 -0.15 dB -13.43 dB 4:16 10-Jig Of Life
DR12 -0.14 dB -17.44 dB 6:01 11-Hello Earth
DR10 -0.10 dB -12.68 dB 2:35 12-The Morning Fog
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 12
Official DR value: DR11
Ripped by: splintered8080

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 4608 kbps
Codec: PCM
================================================================================

I got this issue at a shop in Tokyo last year. I agree with the assessment in the notes - sound quality is poor.